Lower Back Pain and the SI Joint

We treat a good number of patients with back pain in our Juneau, AK office, and Dr. Messerschmidt finds that many cases of back pain stem from the sacroiliac (SI) joint. Investigation has demonstrated that around twenty-five percent of all back pain starts out in the SI joint, and now new research corroborates what we have observed in our office: chiropractic is an effective method for treating this pain.

In the study published in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 32 women who suffered from sacroiliac joint syndrome were split into two groups and asked to take part in one of two treatment methods. one group was given a chiropractic adjustment only at the sacroiliac joint, and the second group was given an adjustment to the sacroiliac joint as well as the lumbar spine.

Researchers found significantly more improvements in both pain and movement immediately after treatment, two days post-treatment, and 30 days after for the individuals who received high-velocity low-amplitude manipulation to both the sacroiliac joint and the lumbar spine. This suggests that chiropractic treatment applied to these two areas offers both short term and lasting results for sacroiliac joint pain sufferers—even with just one treatment round.

So, if you are having trouble with sacroiliac joint pain, or cope with back and leg pain and are ready to find out if your sacroiliac joint is the root, a visit to our Juneau, AK office may be the first—and best—step towards feeling better. Give our office a call today at (907) 789-1344.

Kamali F, Shokri E. The effect of two manipulative therapy techniques and their outcome in patients with sacroiliac joint syndrome. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 2012;16(1):29-35.